Calibration, Validation and Utility of ARTEMIS‐A: A Web Application for Early Identification of Mental Health Difficulties in Secondary Schools
Anne‐Marie Burn, Jan Stochl, Joanna Anderson, Aslihan Baser, Peter B. Jones, Tamsin FordABSTRACT
Background
Early identification can accelerate access to effective support. We aimed to calibrate and validate ARTEMIS‐A, a computerised adaptive assessment of mental health difficulties for young people (YP), and to explore its acceptability and feasibility.
Method
The ARTEMIS‐A item bank comprises 175 questions from established standardised mental health measures. Calibration involved pupils aged 11–16 years completing overlapping sets of 40 questions. Convergent validity was evaluated by comparing calibrated ARTEMIS‐A scores with the Development and Well‐Being Assessment (DAWBA). Online interviews with YP, parents and school staff explored perceived benefits and harms.
Results
Of 3183 recruited pupils from nine schools, 2276 provided complete calibration data. Then 103 YP from six schools completed both ARTEMIS‐A and the DAWBA. ARTEMIS‐A administered a median of four questions per participant (min 2, max 8), with a median completion time of 67 seconds. Convergent validity with clinically rated DSM 5 DAWBA diagnoses was good; correlation was 0.55 the area under the curve was 0.81. Parents and YP considered ARTEMIS‐A acceptable and feasible, highlighting its speed, simplicity, and device flexibility.
Conclusions
ARTEMIS‐A is potentially an efficient, flexible and cost‐effective method of early identification of secondary school pupils who may require additional support for their mental health.